(Special to MyMerryChristmas.com) \u2013 America can be a place of fences. Not so much \u201cback East\u201d (as they call it). But \u201cout west\u201d (as they also call it) where the suburbs that sprawled during the 1940s through the 1980s it is not uncommon to find what they call \u201ctract homes\u201d on quarter acre lots — all fenced in.<\/p>\n
Such is the case in a neighborhood in Fontana, California where a fence is shared between Shannon Hinkle, a 38-year old divorced mother of three, and Bill and Natalie Preston, who have two children.<\/p>\n
In fact, that fence once caused some tension between the Hinkles and the Prestons.<\/p>\n
The utility company needed to tear up a section near the street of their houses and that fence was kind of in the way. The question arose of who was going to pay for taking that portion of the fence out and then replace it. Nobody could agree who was responsible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a terrible time for me,\u201d Shannon explains. \u201cI was in the middle of my divorce, my Mom was really sick and I was just overloaded. I wasn\u2019t very nice to Bill or Natalie, I think\u201d.<\/p>\n
Those fences can cause a lot of problems. For the 8 years the Prestons have lived there the fence has been a barrier to getting to know their neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never really see the Hinkles,\u201d Natalie says. \u201cTheir kids go to a Catholic school and she works nights. We just never had the chance to really connect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Coronavirus came around.<\/p>\n
The Prestons took a February cruise which ended up a nightmare. \u201cWe had a good time until they locked us down in quarantine on the ship.\u201d Bill said. \u201cWhat was a one week cruise turned into this month long odyssey.\u201d They were quarantined on a military base after they finally got back to the USA and then found themselves in quarantine again under doctor\u2019s orders when they returned home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were bored to death,\u201d Bill said. \u201cI read where some people were hanging their Christmas<\/a> lights<\/a> and having nothing better to do I did the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n For Shannon, who works nights as a nurse, she really appreciated the glow of Christmas<\/a> lights<\/a> next door. As a healthcare worker the whole virus situation is a high-stress thing.<\/p>\n \u201cBill and Natalie always decorate their home so nicely for every holiday,\u201d Shannon says. \u201cShe does Halloween<\/a> and he always does Christmas<\/a>. But it is never the over the top stuff, you know? Bill just knows what he is doing and their home is always so cute.\u201d<\/p>\n Shannon was happy to see it back in March.<\/p>\n Bill runs a landscaping company. During the months of October and November one of their main businesses is the hanging of Christmas<\/a> lights<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s California!\u201d Bill chuckles. \u201cPeople do that here. Getting up on ladders and doing their own lights<\/a> is hard to do and they have money and we benefit from it. It\u2019s my favorite time of year and it is the best part of my job.\u201d<\/p>\n Shannon says every Christmas<\/a> is magic in their neighborhood thanks to Bill and Natalie. The best she can do is get her tree up every Thanksgiving<\/a> weekend. Her time and budget does not include Christmas<\/a> lights<\/a> or decorations<\/a> outside.<\/p>\n \u201cWe never get snow here,\u201d Shannon says. \u201cBut we take many walks in December starting right next door. We really enjoy them.\u201d<\/p>\n Shannon says she had no clue the Prestons were even gone during the month of February 2020. Such is the case for someone who works graveyards.<\/p>\n So she was shocked when Bill was brought in to the hospital where she works one night in mid-March. He was having great difficulty breathing.<\/p>\n Bill is a big guy. He\u2019s nearly 50 years old and while he is active in his work and his off time his doctor later told him he was high risk for the virus. Ironically, as they later figured, Bill\u2019s exposure to the virus likely came long after his cruise when he returned home.<\/p>\n Bill was tested and admitted.<\/p>\n Within 24 hours his case became severe. He was sedated and put on a ventilator.<\/p>\n That night is when Shannon ran into Natalie as she was returning home from work. Natalie was on the way to the hospital and she was in tears.<\/p>\n For the first time ever Shannon walked passed that fence and hugged her neighbor.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t not talk to her,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cIt disturbed me to see this thing affect someone so close to home. Honestly, we haven\u2019t had a lot of cases yet. So to have it happen to my neighbor was kind of shocking. Can you imagine how horrifying it must have been for Natalie and their kids?\u201d<\/p>\n In all, Bill was on the ventilator for 16 days.<\/p>\n As the days progressed Shannon was there by night and Natalie was there by day. Their hugs became a daily routine and they shared information and updates.<\/p>\n For a good ten days or so it was a very scary time for Bill. The conversations between Natalie and Shannon were increasingly emotional. Shannon was desperate to find a way to give them all some hope.<\/p>\n It came when Bill was able to get off the ventilator and out of intensive care. Shannon could not believe how simple the idea was.<\/p>\n With the help of her children and with the Preston\u2019s kids, Shannon stayed a little later after her shift and set up Christmas<\/a> lights<\/a> and a Christmas<\/a> tree in Bill\u2019s room. When he opened his eyes after sleeping he said, \u201cMan, how long have I been in here?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n But the bigger reaction came from Natalie.<\/p>\n \u201cThey turned that drab, dark and depressing place into a wonderland,\u201d Natalie said. \u201cIt was medicine for all of us \u2013 for Bill, for me, for all the kids. Everything turned when those lights<\/a> went up.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill is still recovering but at home now. His Christmas<\/a> lights<\/a> are up and on outside \u2013 and up and on inside.<\/p>\n Everyone, thanks to Bill\u2019s condition, are still in quarantine \u2013 both families, except for Shannon who has to continue to work. They play games, make meals together and watch Christmas<\/a> movies. The families have now become very close \u2013 thanks to Coronavirus and Christmas<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat fence,\u201d Bill said, \u201ceither comes down or we\u2019re going to hang lights<\/a> on it together this fall. Shannon\u2019s house too, doggone it. We\u2019re family.\u201d<\/p>\n